PASCAGOULA, MS (WLOX) -
Sales awards adorn the office of Stephen Greer. They have been few and far between in recent years. What is plentiful are the mountains of paperwork Greer has filed with the Gulf Coast Claims Facility (GCCF) in recent months.
Two things have nearly killed his business.
"It's a two headed snake so to speak. The losses as a result of the spill and also at the same time, we've got a national economic crises," Greer said.
During the height of the spill, Greer says many buyers canceled contracts, and he wasn't able to save any of those canceled.
"None...sales, closings, nothing. No activity whatsoever," Greer recalled.
Trying to re-coup the losses has left him feeling frustrated and puzzled. Greer did receive an emergency payment of $12,000 in the fall of 2010 but says that hardly helped.
There's a settlement offer on the table now for Mr.Greer to the tune of about $52,000. Even that would not make him whole, he feels he almost has to take it because he has no choice. Appealing it would not be a very wise move, according to Greer.
"The catch here is that there has not been one successful appeal to the NFPC. Basically, they are a rubber stamp for the GCCF," Greer said.
So, what happens next for Greer and his staff of eight.
"I feel bound and gagged that I have no choice," Greer lamented. "And it's not a very pleasant feeling for me."
Even with a payment, the future doesn't look to bright.
"We just go from being in debt to being broke, which is a luxury."
When asked for comment, officials with the GCCF said they cannot speak about specific claims but did say the fund has paid out over $6 Billion to date.
In the interest of full disclosure, we should point out that WLOX-TV is a tenant of Mr. Greer. We rent office space from him in Pascagoula for our Jackson County news bureau.
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